Dark World, Light World
by Wolf Flash
Summary: Yugi, a fifteen-year old boy, gets a project at school. Little does he know that on the way back home, he'll find something, or somebody who'll drag him and his friends into an adventure in another world... - ON HIATUS! -
1. Prologue: Another School Project

Hello! This is my first story with chapters. It's an adventure/fantasy kind of story, unlike the others I've written. This was really influenced by the video games "The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess" and "The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past". Nobody's forcing you to read it if you don't want to.

Disclaimer: (This will remain a statement for the rest of this story. I simply don't want to repeat it like _twenty_ times.) I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did, then it probably wouldn't be about Duel Monsters anymore. I don't own any of "The Legend of Zelda" stuff either (well, I _have_ the games, I just don't _own_ them. Confused? So am I.). Nintendo does.

As for the appearances of the characters, I won't really describe them, so I hope you know what everyone looks like. If there's a lack of description, it's probably because I want _you_ to imagine it.

Prologue:_ Another School Project_

**D**ring! Drrriiing! Drrrrrriiiiiiing!

"Hurry up, Yugi! You're going to be late for last period!"

"Coming! Sorry, Joey! I had forgotten my textbooks in the locker!"

"Yeah, but hurry!"

Yugi and Joey rushed down the hall as quickly as possible, just barely making it there in time for English class.

Dring! Drrriiing! Drrrrrriiiiiiing!

"Phew! That was close!" Yugi said to his friend. Joey just winked as they reached their seats.

"Be quiet, everyone! Class is starting!" The English teacher called out to the class. At once, everyone was quiet. Compared to the average teacher, she had half the temper and was twice as strict, so nobody dared to disobey her.

"Today, we are going to start a new project. We're going to write a story, and it will be done in groups of four. However, I get to choose the partners."

Everyone made a face the moment the teacher turned around to write the details on the blackboard. Another project! She gave out tons of projects, about once or twice a week. It only got worse when she chose group work since she would always be the one to choose the partners. She would always pair up people that hated each other for some reason, and make them work together as if they were the best friends since the beginning of time.

"Now," she continued after she wrote down the instructions. "This time I want to be fair, so the names will be pulled out randomly from a paper bag, and I'll then write down the group on paper. Understand?" The students nodded in synchronism. At least now luck would decide who was going to be with whom.

The teacher then took out a brown paper bag containing names and proceeded to take names out.

"First group: Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Ryou Bakura, and Seto Kaiba."

"WHAT??" cried Joey. "KAIBA??"

"Be quiet or you'll get a fail as well as three detentions," the teacher snapped back, and started calling out more names. Joey shut his mouth, but that didn't prevent him from staring at the tall teen with brown hair who was just ignoring him and reading a book. He looked at Yugi, who was looking back at him. But… at least they'd be together. Then, Yugi's gaze shifted to Ryou, who was looking down timidly at a blank page of a notebook. At least being in this group gave him a chance to try to get Ryou to come out of his shell. He remembered himself just like Ryou- lonely, timid and scared to make friends. That is, until Joey came along and showed him what true friendship meant. However, being with Kaiba was going to be a problem. He and Yugi were rivals to exaggerate on the bright side. For a moment Kaiba turned his head and his eyes met Yugi's. His blue eyes showed no expression that could be described better than hate.

"Now, I'm going to give you ten minutes to think about the story with your partners," she said after all the names were all called. "You'll also have to arrange a way to get together at somebody's house, because this is due on Tuesday. If it's late, it's an automatic fail and all the members of your group get detentions. Also, do your rough copies by hand. That way, I'll know how much each person has done. If you haven't written anything, I'll suppose you didn't do anything. Understand?"

"Yes, teacher," the class replied monotonously. Then, the class started to divide itself into the groups the teacher had made earlier. Some girls and boys blushed as they saw that their crush was in their group, others grimaced because they were stuck with somebody they didn't like. Joey, of course, expressed himself in the latter way.

"C'mon, Yugi! Let's just ditch Kaiba and do our own work!" he exclaimed as they grouped around Kaiba's desk. Ryou just shuddered when he looked at everyone, and he fixed his stare to the blank wall. Kaiba didn't say anything, but he put down his book.

"Stop it, Joey!" said Yugi. "Arguing isn't going to do anything! Besides, it's Saturday today, so it'll only be for three days." Joey relaxed a bit, but then realized something.

"Hey, where should we go to work after school? I can't invite you to mine because of my dad…" He was right. His dad was always drunk, so inviting them over wasn't the best idea in the world. "Hey, how about going over to Kaiba's mansion? He's the one who is a gigabillionaire."

"Listen." All eyes turned to Kaiba at his cold, uninviting voice. "I hate to work with geeks like you, but since I absolutely have to, then I will. But I am NOT going to let you step into my house with your dirty feet. Besides, my company is working on something very important, and there's a lot of data and important things that are in my home. Therefore, I shall absolutely refuse to let you come in, even if it means I have to go to a trash heap for this project. And mutt, "gigabillionare" isn't even a word."

"Did he just call me a-" started Joey, but Yugi interrupted him, trying to bring peace.

"So, Ryou, how about you?" he asked.

"Um… Well, I'm sorry, but I… can't exactly invite you…because…well…" responded Ryou, even more timid than before. It looked as if he was going to cry any moment, but Yugi saved him.

"Don't worry! It'll be a pleasure to invite you to where I live. It's upstairs of a game shop though, so it might be too crowded. But Grandpa won't be here today until late in the evening, so it'll be okay. I'm sure he won't mind!"

"Then it's settled!" Joey said. "But at when? It'll be fine for me anytime."

"Well, since school ends at two thirty, how about at four o'clock?" Yugi asked..

"Whatever," said Kaiba. Ryou just nodded.

School had ended, and Yugi waved goodbye to Joey. They usually walked together, but Yugi had to go home and prepare. He had given Kaiba and Ryou his address, and he hoped that they would be able to find where the shop was. He then looked at his watch. 2:45. He had more than enough time to eat something and finish his other homework. He walked further, and he was already a couple of blocks away from the game shop. Suddenly, he sank down on his knees and clutched where his heart was.

"Strange…" As soon as it came, the feeling left. "Did I just feel something weird?" he said to himself. But since it was gone, he decided that he was just imagining things. There were just two blocks left until he reached home, so he felt that if anything was wrong he could get some medicine. One more block…

By mere chance, Yugi shifted his gaze to the alleyway on his left, and gasped as he saw a sparkling stream of crimson on the ground. At once, Yugi rushed in to find where it came from. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

Cliffhanger? Well, I'll update really, really soon (like tomorrow). Oh, and just to make something clear, students in Japan go to school six days a week. That's why it's Saturday. Please review!


	2. Chapter 1: A Familiar Stranger

Wow. That was sooner than I thought! Anyways, here's the next chapter. This is where the real story begins!

Chapter 1: _A Familiar Stranger _

**A**n ominous wind blew into the alley, and it was dark there, despite the daylight from the outside. As he looked forwards, Yugi could see the outline of a person lying on the ground. But in the darkness, he could not make out whom, or what it was. He tried saying something.

"A-are you okay? Please answer me! Please! Wake up!"

But despite his voice, the person did not wake up. Yugi's eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, and he could see the scarlet blossom on the left side of the person's chest, the source that fed the growing lake. He had to do something quickly! Yugi ran up to the person, and kneeled down, taking a closer look at the wound. It seemed hopeless. But something else caught his attention. The person was wearing the same school uniform as he was! Then… was this person a student from his school, Domino High? He looked at the person's face, and was shocked at what he saw. There, lying unconscious on the ground, was… himself?

Just to make sure, Yugi touched his own face, and then touched the dying, if not already dead person's face as well. They both were solid, except for the fact that his own face was warm while the other man's was cold. Suddenly, Yugi's hand shot back as something happened that he did not expect- the man was opening his eyes! Two orbs the same color of the puddle on the floor met the amethyst eyes of the startled teen. Despite the pain he was in, their owner smiled. _At least I am still alive._

Yugi was clearly in a state of shock. He was petrified, unable to move while the crimson eyes transfixed their gaze on him. Then, they closed once more, and Yugi tried to say something again.

"I-I'll call someone to help you!"

"_No… Please… whatever you do, don't let anyone know that I'm here…_" whispered the person. His voice was raspy, and it seemed that he was barely able to talk.

"But you need help!" said Yugi, trying to convince the person that he needed help. He didn't like the thought of someone who looked so much like him to… die. "Please! You might not make it!"

"_I never said I didn't… But don't tell anyone… I beg you… I'd rather die than to let someone know I'm here…_"

Yugi found no option other than to leave him there. Then, remembering that he was so close to home, he had a better idea.

"Can you get up?"

"_I can barely breathe…_"

Yugi frowned. What was he going to do now? He would have to carry him home if he wanted to save him. Taking a look at his watch, it was already 3:02. If he didn't hurry, then people will start getting back from work, and it would be inevitable that someone would spot him. If he waited until night, then maybe it would be… too late. But how would he be able to carry his own weight? He wasn't particularly strong either. However, it was the only choice.

"That's it. I'll have to carry you," said Yugi, hoping that the person wouldn't mind.

"_But, where?_" Still, the person's eyes were closed. It seemed that he was struggling to whisper.

"Don't worry. Somewhere safe. Nobody will know. Besides, someone will just find you sooner or later if you stay here." With that, Yugi took off his schoolbag, and took out his gym shirt. He was afraid that if he moved him, he would start bleeding even more, so he took it and pressed it on the wound. The figure shuddered for a second, but didn't move otherwise.

"Please. I need you to stand. Try getting up!" But when there was no response, Yugi put his arms around the limp body, and succeeded in lifting it. He draped the person's arms around his neck and let the head rest on his left shoulder. He made sure the shirt was still in place, and got up to see if he could carry him like that. Surprisingly enough, the person was rather light, so he didn't have much trouble standing. However, he realized that the person was a bit taller than he was, so the feet dangled a centimeter above the ground. Still, it didn't matter much. He began to run as quickly as he could with such a large load.

He reached the game shop in less than five minutes, and nobody had seen him yet. He quickly grabbed the key from his pocket with his left hand, careful to keep the grip on the limp body. He opened the door, got in, closed it, and went upstairs to his bedroom. He gently laid the person down on his own bed. He removed the blood-soaked shirt from where it was plastered and ran downstairs. He got the first-aid kit, and ran back up. But by now, the bleeding seemed to have ceased. He let out a sigh of relief. But it didn't last that long as he remembered that Kaiba, Joey and Ryou were coming to his house really soon. He looked at his watch. He still had half an hour left.

"_Where am I…?_" Yugi quickly looked at the person lying on his bed. His eyes had opened again.

"Don't worry. You're in my room," replied Yugi. "But, what happened to you?"

"_I'll tell you later when I have the strength…_"

"Okay. Just take a rest." Then, another question came to him. "One last thing. Who are you?"

"_Call me… Yami._" With that, the eyes closed again, and Yami seemed to have fallen asleep.

"My name's Yugi," he said, not sure if Yami had heard him. Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard, shattering the silence. Yugi ran downstairs to see who it was, closing his bedroom door behind him.

Uh, just one thing before I go. I only noticed today on the "feed" page that it said that the _pairing_ was Yami and Yugi. That wasn't what I meant at all! If there's one thing I hate, it's yaoi. I only put that because they were the_ main characters_. The same applies for my other fics. Don't get me wrong!! Anyways, please review! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2: More Company

Now the game shop is going to get slightly more crowded...

Chapter 2: _More Company_

"**R**you? Is that you?" said Yugi as he saw who had knocked. The visitor nodded, but kept is eyes glued to the ground.

"I… I came a bit early because I had nothing to do…"

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting you, but that's okay!"

"A-are you sure? I'm not a bother?"

"Of course not!" Ryou then looked up, tears of joy welling in his eyes. Suddenly, he flinched and took a step back.

"W-what happened? A-are you okay?" Yugi frowned, not knowing what had caused this reaction from Ryou. But then, he noticed that on the right side of his chest was covered with splotches of crimson. Oh no! He had forgotten about that! He frantically searched his mind for an excuse.

"Um… Oh! It's nothing! I just had a nosebleed, that's all. It wasn't any serious, but I accidentally got it on my clothes." Ryou eyed him a bit suspiciously, but didn't say anything else. "So anyways," he continued. "Do you want to sit down and have something?" He then led Ryou upstairs to where they lived, avoiding his bedroom and going straight to the living room where there was a table and some couches. He ran to the fridge, got out a glass of orange juice, and handed it to his guest who accepted it gingerly.

"Thanks…" Ryou said as he sat down and started to sip his drink. Yugi got out a plate of cookies and crackers, poured himself some juice, and sat down too.

"Don't worry about the project. We'll start only once everybody gets here, so just relax!" said Yugi with a smile. This was the perfect chance to get Ryou out of his shell. He quickly plugged his game console to the television and turned it on.

"Hey, Ryou. Have you ever played video games?" When his guest shook his head, Yugi got out one of his favorites. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure you'll like this one!" He then gave the instructions to Ryou, who began to read it intently. "Wait here, I'll be back in an instant," he said, taking this chance to change into something clean.

Yugi ran into his room and quickly shut the door behind him. He looked at Yami, who seemed to still be sleeping. He got a white shirt from his drawer and quickly changed. He looked at his pants, but they still seemed to be clean. Just as he was about to go, Yami spoke.

"_Yugi?_"

"What is it?"

"_What were you doing? There's someone here, right?_"

"Oh. Today my friends are coming over to do a school project," he replied, a bit surprised that Yami knew that he had a guest.

"_How many?_"

"Three. One is here already. But don't worry. I won't tell them about you."

"_Not yet. But if I called you, would you mind bringing them here?_"

"What?" asked Yugi, slightly shocked. "But, didn't you want nobody to know that you're here?"

"_Yes, but four isn't too many. I have a favor to ask from you, and four people will just make it easier._"

"What kind of favor?" Yugi asked again, curious. They didn't know each other, so why would he be asking for something from a total stranger? "I don't really know you…"

"_You don't know me, but I know who you are. But I'll tell you everything once the time is right, okay? Now go. I think someone is knocking the door._"

"Okay," replied Yugi, still surprised. He ran back downstairs to find Joey standing before the door.

"Hey! Thought I might drop by a little early!" Joey said to Yugi when the door was opened. Yugi laughed.

"Well, you might be a _little_ early, but Ryou got here before you!" He then led Joey upstairs where Ryou was waiting.

"Oh! Joey arrived?" Ryou said when the two were upstairs.

"Hi Ryou!" replied Joey. Then, he saw the game. "Oh! I love that game! Let's play it together!" He then grabbed a cookie and sat down. Yugi gave everyone a controller, and soon they were having lots of fun together. Ryou was actually winning.

"Ry, you're good at this!" exclaimed Joey when he had lost a third time.

"Well, it's just my first time…" responded Ryou timidly. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"It must be Kaiba," said Yugi. "So, we have to turn off the game. But Ryou, we'll get together and play more later, okay?" Ryou nodded, and Joey turned the game off while Yugi went downstairs to get Kaiba.

"Kaiba! You're here!" said Yugi appealingly to the person who was now entering the game shop. Kaiba's expressions didn't change, though. He still kept his cold, icy gaze straight in front of him, and walked up the stairs of the game shop to the living room with the dignity of a lord as if he owned the place.

"Boy, if there was one thing greater than life, then it would have been Kaiba's ego," commented Joey as Kaiba entered the scene with Yugi behind him.

"Mutt, I'm only doing this because I simply have to. Do you think there's any way I'd hang out with geeks like you if I had a choice?" said Kaiba coldly without even a word of greeting as he sat down on a chair that was quite far away from them. Ryou seemed to start shuddering again, and Joey had the I-would-have-killed-you-if-I-had-a-chance look on his face. Yugi sat down on the couch with Ryou and Joey, and tried his best to look cheerful (which was kind of hard considering the fact that Kaiba was there).

"Uh, so to start things off, what do you think will be a good topic to write about?" said Yugi with simulated enthusiasm. The story had to be an original fictional idea with about five thousand words minimum, so the topic was very important.

"How about "The Rich Jerk" as the title?" asked Joey with a smirk. It soon faded though, when Kaiba responded.

"How about "The Mutt Named Joey Wheeler"?"

"Uh, listen guys! Let's first think of a topic!" said Yugi, trying to bring peace again.

"Fine. How about "the overly inflated ego"?" replied Joey. Apparently, he didn't get Yugi's hint or just simply ignored it.

"No, no, no!" cried Yugi as he realized that the arguing had begun anew. "Something else!"

"Um, how about a fantasy or an adventure?" proposed Ryou in a low voice.

"Yeah, that's better," responded Yugi, relieved. "Now, let's start narrowing the topic down until we get a better idea."

Finally, there was silence as Joey kept quiet, for he was just a bit stumped at finding a new way to piss off Kaiba. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a voice that didn't come from the living room.

Uh-oh. Who do you think that is? And how do you think everyone is going to respond? Please review if you didn't yet! Because if you don't, I might not tell you!


	4. Chapter 3: The Story Revealed

This chapter is very, very important, so make sure to read it carefully. Now, let's find out the reason why Yami is here...

Chapter 3 _The Story Revealed_

"_**K**__aiba? Joey? Ryou?_"

All heads turned as a figure that looked like Yugi walked out of the bedroom and started to limp towards them.

"Y-Yugi? B-but w-what happened? Weren't you just here… a second ago?" said Joey in a shaky voice. Of course, all the blood didn't help at all. Out of all people, Joey was the most superstitious and actually believed in ghosts. He turned his head back to the person beside him on the couch, and then to the other figure. "I-is that y-your stillborn brother w-who is coming back from the dead to g-get revenge?" He then hugged Yugi close to his body.

"Sheesh, Joey!" said Yugi, pushing him away. He then turned to Yami. "Yami! What are you doing here? THEY don't know you yet!"

"_Sorry… I forgot that normal humans had weaker senses…_"

"H-humans? Y-you aren't human? Y-you're a g-gh-" stuttered Joey, but he was interrupted.

"Is this some kind of joke?" asked Kaiba. He certainly wasn't going to let a comment like that pass unnoticed.

"_Nobody is laughing, Kaiba._"

"What? H-he knows who we are?" shouted Joey. "B-but we haven't even m-met you! T-then you **must** be a g-ghost!"

"_I heard you all speaking, Joey. That's why I know your names. And I'm not a ghost._"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Joey screamed when the "ghost" said his name again. "Don't curse me! NOOOO! I don't want to die!!"

"Shut up, mutt. Even Ryou isn't screaming like a baby," said Kaiba with just the trace of a sneer in his voice. "And didn't he just say that he wasn't a ghost?"

Yami said nothing, but he sat down leisurely beside Yugi. That just caused more of a reaction from Joey, who then jumped off the couch and hid behind Kaiba's chair.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! If he isn't a ghost, then w-what on Earth is he?"

"_I never said I came from Earth,_" said Yami with a slight grin. He seemed to be rather pleased as he teased Joey.

"THEN WHERE DID YOU COME FROM??" screamed Joey. "DON"T KILL ME! IF YOU HAVE TO KILL SOMEBODY, KILL KAIBA FIRST!"

"_I can't speak with your voice on top of mine, can't I? And if I really decided to kill somebody, I'll be sure to start with you. Kaiba's right. You are like a dog, and you sort of smell like one too. But you act like a little puppy. You better shut up soon, because your voice is hurting my ears. If you don't, maybe I'll eat you…_"

"WHAT ARE YOU?"

"_Aww… so the little puppy is frightened… You look so tasty, and being scared makes you all the tastier…_" cooed Yami, who licked his lips and grinned, revealing two sharp fangs. His ears were slightly pointier than a normal person's, and his face seemed deathly pale because of his blood loss earlier. His crimson eyes glittered with something that resembled bloodlust, and the gaping wound on his chest made him seem all the more sinister.

"VAMPIRE!!" hurled Joey on the top of his lungs. "VAMPIRE! VAMPIRE! NOOO! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!!"

"Mutt! Quit howling!" said Kaiba, annoyed. "We all know that vampires don't exist! So stop hiding behind _my_ chair!"

"Y-Yami…?" said Yugi in a scared tone. As soon as Yami saw the terror in Yugi's eyes, his smile vanished with the sparkle in his eye. He sighed.

"_He's right._"

"AAAH! SO YOU **ARE** A VAMPIRE! I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!" bellowed the voice behind Kaiba's chair.

"_No. I meant Kaiba. AND PLEASE STOP SHOUTING! I have sensitive ears!_"

"S-so you're n-not a vampire?" whispered Joey, who had now calmed down a bit.

"_No I'm not! If only you gave me time to explain before jumping to conclusions! _" snapped a rather annoyed Yami. When finally there was silence, he began talking again. "_So, to make a long story short, I really need your help._"

"Uh, could you tell us what happened and why you're here first?" asked Yugi. After all, he too was really curious.

"_Okay, but this is going to take a long time. To begin, let me just tell you about where I come from. I lived in the Dark World, and where we are, we refer to your world as the Light World. The two worlds are in different dimensions, but are also connected. For example, whenever somebody is born in the Light World, that person's counterpart is born simultaneously in the Dark World. However, the two worlds are greatly different. The Dark World is a world of magic. Those who live there have extraordinary abilities, and there are many mystical artifacts of great powers. In the Light World, there are no such things. However, those who inhabit the Light World are equally important. The beings of the Dark World cannot exist without their counterpart in the Light World, while the beings of the Light World can continue living even if their counterpart in the Dark World dies. If a being of the Dark World dies, what their body is made of, shadow mass, as well as their soul, will all be transferred into the Shadow Realm, which is yet another dimension. It is filled with shadow mass and lost souls, and from there, new beings are formed and born. If a being in the Light World passes on, they leave their body of flesh, and their spirit soars to the heavens as long as their soul is pure. That is when the soul of their counterpart, no matter in the Dark World or the Shadow Realm, will also be set free._"

"Oh, so you're now telling us a fairy tale?" asked Kaiba unenthusiastically. "I'm not the one to believe in this crap."

"_May I finish?_" asked Yami politely. Kaiba remained silent, for curiosity still got the better half of him.

"Hey! No fair! Why don't _we_ get magical powers and you do? And if there really was this world, then why don't _we_ know a thing about it?" asked Joey, who was doubting things _now_. Yami just sighed again and continued.

"_Listen, Joey. Even though we have magical powers, it doesn't mean we are allowed to use all of them. The more powerful types of magic require the use of blood and a human form, which we don't have. Our bodies are made of shadow matter, which is a dark substance that is unlike flesh. Also, there is only one way to enter the other world, which is by using a magical artifact. The Mirror of Light allows entrance to the Light World or the Dark World, while the Mirror of Darkness allows entrance to the Shadow Realm and back._"

"Well, why are you here, and what is that blood doing on your chest?" asked Joey, pointing. He clearly was still trying to convince himself that Yami was a vampire. Yami shot him a glare, but still answered his question.

"_I was getting there. First of all, the beings of the Dark World aren't humans. Instead, they take on the form of animals, mythical beasts, or plants made of shadow matter. Because of this, normally when they try to cross over, they'll die, and the same with humans crossing into the Dark World. However, there is also another artifact called the Moon Pearl. When a being from the Dark World crosses into the Light World after absorbing the energy of the Moon Pearl, they gain a human form and human blood and flesh. If they return to the Dark World, they can transform at will into the form they once were, but with flesh instead of shadow matter. When the powers of the Moon Pearl are absorbed by beings of the Light World, they can cross into the Dark world without losing their human form, but they do not gain a Dark World form. But since when a being of the Dark World crosses over with the power of the Moon Pearl and becomes human they unlock the magic inside of them, the Mirror of Light and the Moon Pearl were hidden away and kept safe by the first king of our land in case someone wanted to use the power for evil. The Mirror of Darkness was even more dangerous because it granted access to the Shadow Realm and all the lost souls and unused shadow matter, so instead it was broken into five pieces and these pieces were hidden away in different locations. Only the new kings have ever been able to use the Mirror of Light and the Moon Pearl to cross into the Light World, so only they are allowed to use their true power to protect our land. But recently, our new king obtained possession of one of the pieces of the Mirror of Darkness, and somehow his mind suddenly went corrupt. Since I was living in the palace, the old king's loyal companion, I was the first to realize this. Secretly when I was supposed to be asleep, I heard him talking about his plan, which was to find all the pieces of the Mirror of Darkness. He would then use the mirror to cross over to the Shadow Realm, and use all the shadow mass and lost souls to create a power so strong that it could not only destroy the Dark World, but the Light World as well. With the power of the Mirror of Light, he would be able to cross over and conquer both worlds. The chain that he kept me on was very rusty and breakable, so once that was out of the way I could surely escape. I knew where the Moon Pearl and the Mirror of Light were kept because I was very close to the former king, so the next day when he was sleeping and unaware, I escaped from my chains and stole them. However, a guard found me before I could use it, and he gave me this nice souvenir of our meeting._" Yami then pointed to the ugly bloody gash on his chest. "_He wounded me fatally, but I was able to cross over here before I died. That's why Yugi found me lying in the alley earlier. And because he was my counterpart of the Light World, I was able to transfer a bit of his energy to me, so I lived._"

"So that's the weird sensation I felt while I was walking home?" asked Yugi, remembering the pain on his heart that he had experienced for a second but had then vanished. Yami nodded.

"_I'm really sorry if that hurt, but it was the only way I could survive. Anyways, the favor I wanted to ask of you all was if you could go to the Dark World with me and find a piece of the Mirror of Darkness and break it before my master finds it first. If he is able to find all the pieces before that though, both worlds could be in grave danger! But since I was so close to him, I know where one of the pieces lies. That won't be a problem, but he does have many minions to support him and kill anyone in his way. And since I'm __**here**__… besides you, my counterpart, who can I turn to now?_"

"So you're telling me that this fairy tale has an actual plot? That's a great beginning to our school project you know…" said Kaiba mockingly.

"Well, if you want us to believe you, then give us proof, vampire!" demanded Joey.

"_If you say the word 'vampire' again, I'll suck every last drop of blood out of you!_" Yami shot back. Joey then remained silent. Yami then took something out of his pocket. It was a smooth, round object that glittered faintly in the light.

"_This is the Moon Pearl._" He then passed it to Yugi, who examined it closely. Suddenly, light shot out from the pearl and enveloped everyone in the room. Just as quickly as it came, the light vanished.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Well, whatever that was, it wasn't funny," said Kaiba.

"_That's what happens when you absorb its powers,_" Yami replied.

"And I thought vampires didn't like light…" muttered Joey. But when he saw the glare that Yami gave him, he stuck his head under the chair and got a good kick in the face by its occupant.

"_So… will you come and accept my favor?_" Yami then pulled out a blue hand mirror decorated with jewels.

"B-but I won't be able to do anything…" said Ryou, slightly embarrassed. "I'll only get in your way…"

"Don't worry a thing, Ryou!" said Joey, who had now stood up and was walking back to the couch. "As long as we're all together, then nothing will stop us!! I accept!"

"He watches way too many movies…" said Yugi with a giggle. "But anyways, count me in!"

"But wait. What if this is a lie?" asked Kaiba, who still didn't believe.

"_Well, you have nothing to lose if it doesn't work…_"

"But I have a company to run and a little brother to take care of!"

"_Time passes differently in the Dark World, so by the time we find that piece of mirror and return, it would be as if nothing had happened in the Light World._"

"Fine. I accept," he said with a slight trace of sarcasm in his voice.

"_Okay. Thanks. I don't think I could do this alone._" A smile was on Yami's face as he touched the glass of the Mirror of Light. "_Now, mirror, do your thing!_"

So now the real story begins... And if you were wondering about Yami's strange characteristics, don't worry. You'll find out soon enough... ;) But if you don't like this chapter, then you might not like the whole story. Anyways, please review if you didn't already!


	5. Chapter 4: Greetings From the Dark World

Sorry for being just a tad late. In this chapter, our friends enter the dark world... and get a not-very-appreciated welcoming ...

**Chapter 4: Greetings From the Dark World**

"**W**hoa! Where am I?" was Joey's first reaction when he woke up covered all over in sand. When he looked up, everyone else was standing. He quickly got up too.

"_This is my land, the Dark World,_" said Yami.

They were in a vast desert filled with sand as far as the eye could see, and a great pyramid stood far out in the distance.

"This place… it looks like Egypt…" said Yugi after closely observing.

"_It might be, in the Light World. The two worlds are mirrored, so it might as well be Egypt in the Light World. The Mirror of Light does not necessarily take you to the place in the Dark World where you are supposed to be in the Light World._"

"Since you're the only one who knows where the mirror piece or whatever is kept, then you should be our guide," said Kaiba. "I'm not going to just blindly wander around this place."

"_Well, the furthest one is to the south, so I think we should begin there…_"

"Hey! Why should we begin with the furthest one?" whined Joey. He really wasn't one who liked long trips.

"_Because it's most likely the last piece that __**they**__'ll go after. And besides, it'll be closer since we're here in the right direction. So let's go._" Yami then turned around, and Yugi, Ryou, and Kaiba followed him.

"Yeah, but how long is it going to take to get there?" asked Joey. "I really don't like camping, you know!"

"_Maybe four days or so of walking,_" came the reply. "_But if you really don't want to come, then I can let the mirror take you back…_"

"NO! I'm going to do this! I was just asking, that's all." Joey certainly wasn't one to back away from a challenge. He then ran up and followed the rest of the group.

However, they hadn't gone very far when Yami's sensitive senses caught something peculiar in the air.

"_Get down!_" he hissed unexpectedly, and pushed Yugi, who was beside him, to the ground. Kaiba, Ryou and Joey got down too, though they were very surprised.

"What's the big idea?" asked Joey.

"_Shhh… Don't make a sound…_" Yami then began to slink away from them. "_Stay where you are, and maybe they won't know that you're here…_" he whispered. When he was far away enough from them, he stood up.

"_Show yourself!_" he growled. As if on cue, something thin and dark shot out of the sand. Yami nimbly dodged to the side, and the form disappeared back into the ground. Judging with his senses, there seemed to be three lurking in the ground, but he wasn't so sure. Suddenly, one jumped up where Yugi was.

_Well… Here goes nothing! _Yami pointed his finger towards the dark shape, and to his surprise a small beam of darkness shot out from it and hit the form just before it could land on Yugi. The thing shattered into bits and evaporated into the air. As he turned around, another one of the creatures leaped up from the sand and tried to attack him, but it was also felled by another beam. The last one tried the same, but met the same fate as the other two.

_But… that can't be all…_ Yami was sure that there still was something stronger lurking somewhere, but he couldn't tell what. Suddenly, he felt the presence of something very strong behind him, near where Yugi and the others were.

"_Watch out!_" he cried, hoping that it wasn't too late. "_Under you! Jump!_" The four quickly got up and jumped to the side just in time to see the great jaw of a giant sandworm made of darkness rise from the ground and snap up empty air. By now, Yami had reached them. "_Is everyone okay?_"

But there wasn't any time for that. The worm-like beast had risen high up in the air, and it was charging back down with all its force at them. Luckily, it missed its moving targets, but it just disappeared back into the ground with a huge puff of sand.

"_Damn… It's too fast, and it has a big advantage due to the environment! Be careful, and don't stay in one place or it'll get you!_" Yami shouted through the confusion and the blinding sand. He then felt the sand beneath himself move, and jumped to the side. The worm shot out of the sand just like he predicted, and he used that opportunity to send a blast of darkness at it. However, there wasn't even a scratch, and the beast shot back down, nearly grazing him. Another puff of sand blew into the air. But by the time it cleared, there was no trace of the worm.

"Did you get it?" asked Joey.

"_I'm afraid not… I'm positive I hit it, but there wasn't a scratch…_"

Suddenly, the sand in front of Yugi started to move.

"_Yugi! Get back!_" Thanks to Yami's warning, the worm missed its target once again. Frustrated, it tried to find another prey to attack once it came back down. It was then that it found its perfect target. Ryou looked up just in time to see the gaping jaws aimed right at him. Yami tried to hit the worm again with his bolts of darkness, but they didn't even faze the beast no matter where they hit. He had to do something quickly, but he was too far away! It was Yugi that saved Ryou by pushing him away from the attack. The worm found nothing… again. However, both Yugi and Ryou were helpless, lying on the ground.

"Come on! We have to find a way to attack it!" said Joey to Yami.

"_But… the body is invincible!_" he said back. "_My attacks can't penetrate the hard substance that the body is made of!_" What were they going to do now? Luckily, since the worm was too close to Yugi and Ryou when it burrowed into the ground, it couldn't attack again immediately. However, it emerged behind them and rose into the air, ready to devour its prey.

Cliffhanger again... sorry, but I couldn't help it... So next chapter, what do you think will happen to Ryou and Yugi? Will they be able to find a way to hit their opponent, or will they make a nice snack for a sandworm made of darkness? Please review if you didn't already! Thanks so much to my faithful reviewers!


	6. Chapter 5: Death or Escape?

Okay. Now let's see what happens!

**Chapter 5: Death or Escape?**

"_**O**__h, no! Yugi! Ryou! There must be a weak spot on this thing, but where is it? We're running out of time!_" Yami shouted, hoping that Joey or Kaiba would find an answer, but they were as baffled as he was.

Ryou looked up again at the giant mouth of the worm-beast, only this time there was no escape. The sharp teeth and the long tongue would be his last sight in this world. Wait… long tongue?

"Yami!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "That's it! The tongue! The tongue!"

There was no need for a second time. Yami shot another blast of darkness, this time hitting the worm on its long tongue. The beast was paralyzed for a second, and it fell backwards and disappeared into the ground again. After a few seconds, it emerged again, but it didn't seem to be attacking. Instead, it opened its large mouth. A dark substance started to rise into the air where the tongue used to be. It seemed to be in an utter rage now, and then it spat out something. Four dark, slippery miniature forms of the sandworm dug themselves into the sand, followed by their mother.

"_It's larvae! That's what I had been attacking before!_" Yami said to them, realizing what they were. One then jumped up in front of Kaiba. His instincts told him to hit it. He gave a punch, and to his surprise it worked. The small form shattered and evaporated. Another one jumped behind Joey, who kicked it to death. Then, it became quiet.

_Strange… weren't there four? _Yami thought to himself. Suddenly, he felt pain sear through both his ankles, and looked down to see that the remaining two larvae had bitten him. He tried to kick them away, but it seemed that they were pinning his feet to the ground. Then, the mother burst out from the sand before him, and went into the air a dozen meters high. As it came back down, it was ready to devour him just like it would have devoured Ryou and Yugi. He tried to calm down, and thought about his situation.

Ten meters…

If he fired a beam at it right now, it would be too weak, and the lag would probably kill him.

Nine meters…

Crashing down like that, no human would be able to withstand the impact.

Eight meters…

He got an idea.

Seven meters…

If he jumped before the thing hit him, then there would be no impact, and he would be able to attack it from the inside, which would surely defeat it.

Six meters…

It was a great idea, but how would he do that? His feet were tightly pinned to the ground.

Five meters…

It was now or never… but how? Even if he were able to get rid of the larvae hindering him, it was still impossible for a human to jump that high.

Four meters…

_Don't panic_… he thought to himself. _Don't panic_…

Three meters…

_That's it_!

There was a flash as darkness started to envelop his body.

Two meters…

He got ready.

One meter…

SLAM!

"YAMI!" everyone screamed. Suddenly, the sandworm burst open, and a great cloud of shadow matter filled the air. The worm was defeated and gone… but what about Yami?

When the cloud cleared, something started running at them at full force. Yugi bent down and opened his arms to receive a mass bundle of fur. In his arms was a wolf with bloodied hind legs, bloodied chest, and crimson eyes that was wagging its tail furiously and licking his face. Kaiba was at a loss for words, but Joey wasn't.

"So he isn't a vampire, but… a werewolf?"

"He's… really cute!" giggled Ryou as he rubbed the wolf's head and got a lick in return. Even Kaiba's heart of ice seemed to melt a little. Just a little. When finally all that was over, the wolf got out of Yugi's embrace and began to shine. When the light was gone, Yami was lying on the ground in front of them.

"_I think… I'm spent…_" he managed to say, and gave a weak smile.

"How did you manage to kill that thing?" asked Joey. "You were so amazing!"

"_I did the same thing that it did. I jumped and opened my mouth, and because of the inertia, I was still going up and the thing was still going down. So, I kind of ripped through it._" Yami then yawned and closed his eyes.

"It's getting late now, so what do you say about some rest?" asked Yugi, seeing that Yami was so tired that he had now fallen asleep. It was night now, so it was cool in the desert. Everyone agreed. Joey, Ryou and Yugi all lay on their backs, while Kaiba propped himself on a large rock. Soon, all of them had drifted off into a deep slumber.

Sorry that this chapter is a few hundred words shorter than the others. I had a bit of a writer's block. If you ever played LoZ WW, then you'll recognize the thing as Molgera. (I don't have the game, but I have the guide for some reason.)

If you like Yami as a wolf, tell me, and I'll put more of that in there. If you don't like it, then tell me as well and I'll put less. Thanks to the four people who reviewed ten times together. I love you all! Please review if you didn't already!


	7. Chapter 6: Apologies

In this chapter, Yami apologizes to Yugi about what had happened the day before...

**Chapter 6: Apologies**

**R**ight after midnight, Yugi started to stir. He slowly got up, not wanting to disturb everybody else. To his surprise, he saw that Yami was awake, sitting on top of a rock far away. He decided to approach Yami, to see why he wasn't asleep. Since there was a slight breeze blowing in Yugi's direction, Yami didn't notice the boy until he was right beside him.

"Yami?" Yami turned his head.

"_Yugi, why aren't you asleep?_"

"That's what I wanted to ask you," Yugi replied. "I woke up, and I saw you here." He then sat down beside Yami. "What are you doing?"

"_Just… thinking._" Yugi shifted his gaze to where Yami was looking at. It was the moon of the dark world, which shined a rosy color down at the desert.

"_It's a very pretty moon tonight, isn't it?_"

"Yeah…"

"_You know, it's been so long since I last saw it…_" For a long time, the two just looked absent-mindedly at the crescent moon. Yami's voice then broke the silence.

"_I'm so sorry…_" he whispered.

"W-what for?" asked Yugi, who was shocked at what had been said.

"_I'm just so sorry I put you all through this…_"

"Why? What do you mean?"

"_Don't you get it? I put your life in danger. I could've lost you and Ryou, and it's all my fault!_" Yami's expression seemed to change into anger.

"But it was okay in the end, right?" Yugi said, trying to calm his friend down.

"_If it weren't for Ryou, you both would have died!_"

"Is it because… then you would have died too?"

"_About my life, I couldn't care less. But _I_ dragged you into this mess, so _I_ should be the one in danger, not you!_"

"But we chose to come, right?"

"_But it's not fair! I was so selfish! I shouldn't have asked you to come in the first place. First, my master dies because I didn't protect him well enough. Then, feeling lonely, I come and take you here so that you can suffer the same fate as he? I acted too recklessly, and look at what could have happened yesterday!_" Something seemed to glitter on Yami's face.

"Then… I guess that you're saying that we're getting in your way, and that you could do this alone without us?"

"_No…_" Yami was now whispering again. "_I can't do anything alone. I need you, but it just isn't fair…_" More glitter was on his face now.

"Listen." Yugi said. "We had a choice, and we all agreed. I agreed with my heart. You asked Joey if he wanted to go back, and he said no. Kaiba would never agree to something he didn't want, and Ryou… nobody ever cared about him until now. He's happy with us, don't you see? Besides, you said that both worlds would be in danger, so we would still be in danger even if we weren't here."

"_I really don't know what to think now…_" Yami then felt Yugi's arm around his shoulder.

"Yami, if we ever want to go back, we'll tell you. But now, were all in this together, and it isn't going to change. Understand?" Yami nodded, and wiped something from his face.

"_Okay. But I'll protect you for the rest of the time we're here. I'll protect you with my life, and have my word._" There was another short silence. "_You know, I'll never be able to do anything alone. I've never accomplished anything without the help of somebody else. I've never been alone until my master died…_"

They then just sat there, arms around each other's shoulder.

"May you… tell me a bit about your life?" Yugi asked softly. Yami sighed.

"_First, when I was created, I was in a pack with many others of my kind. I was strong and I learned quickly, so when I got older I easily became alpha. But one day, when the pack was hunting, fate changed my life. The king of the Dark World had been away, and when he was returning rebels attacked him. I told my pack to defend him, and we won. So, to show his gratitude, he took me in the palace and he became my master. Then one day, he died and somebody else took the throne. And because of the law that everything owned by the former king would be inherited by the new king, he took me as well…_" His voice trailed off. It seemed to be an unhappy memory that he didn't want to recall.

"I'm sorry about that… It must be hard."

"_It has nothing to do with you,_" Yami replied dryly. "_It's all right now because I have you all._" He gave a forced smile. "_You should be going back to sleep now._"

"But what about you?" asked Yugi once he got off the rock.

"_I… I'm coming._" He jumped and landed beside Yugi. The two then walked back to where the others were still sleeping and they fell asleep beside one another.

There will be more action in the next chapters. But from now on, every few chapters, Yami will have a little moment with one of the other characters. Bonds will start to form and friendship will start to grow as the story progresses. Anyways, I hoped you liked this chapter even though it was also a little short. Please review!


	8. Chapter 7: Techniques of Dark and Light

Sorry about being so slow! I was too busy slacking off... I mean finding an idea. This stupid writer's block isn't helping either! This chapter's kind of short because of that... But at least I did write _something_!

**Chapter 7: Techniques of Darkness and Light**

**L**ate in the morning, everybody awoke to the scorching rays of the sun of the Dark world.

"Ugh… It's so hot!" grumbled Joey once everyone was up. "Shouldn't we find some shade?"

"_Please wait a moment…_" Yami then walked back to where the thing that they had defeated yesterday was. There was still a thin black cloud where it used to be. He bit the tip of his index finger and traced a spiral in the sand with the blood. Suddenly, the cloud concentrated into the middle of the spiral and disappeared with the mark.

"What was that?" asked Yugi.

"_I made a Shadow Warp. We might need to come back here later._"

"Whoa! How did you do that?" asked Joey.

"_My master taught me how, but this is my first try. A Shadow Warp works when you're far away and you focus on where the Warp is. Then, you teleport there via the Shadow Realm._"

"Cool! Could you teach us something too?" Yami thought for a moment at Joey's request.

"_Well, first you need to clear your mind._" Joey then closed his eyes. "_Now focus all your energy in one place, like your finger._" He then stuck out his index finger. But nothing happened.

"Hey, it isn't working!" he whined.

"_Yugi and Ryou, you try too._" Yugi stuck out his index finger also, and a faint beam of light shot from it.

"Oh… I did it!" he exclaimed. However, the beam was aimed straight at Ryou. Ryou put out a hand, and to his surprise, a glass mirror appeared, reflecting it back. The beam was too weak though, and it disappeared before it could hit Yugi.

"Did I just…" Ryou didn't know what to say.

"_You created a Mirror Shield, Ryou! Good going!_"

"Thanks…" Ryou smiled. For once he actually did something that made himself proud.

"No fair! Why can't I do anything?" pouted Joey.

"_You're not focusing enough! Relax, and try it again._" Joey sighed and did what he was told. He took a deep breath, and tried it again. Suddenly, a small white flame appeared on his fingertip.

"Yay! I did it!" Joey exclaimed, and started doing a victory dance while Yami and the others sweatdropped. "Hey Kaiba! I bet you can't do that!" Joey said in a rather annoying voice.

"That does it!" Kaiba, who usually didn't believe in such things, pointed his own finger at Joey in anger. A beam of ice shot out and froze Joey's left foot to the ground.

"Hey! What was that for?" The ice quickly melted though due to the heat of the desert. "Chill out!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Joey! Calm down!" said Yugi, interrupting the argument. He then turned to Yami. "So… we have powers like yours while we're here?"

"_Yes,_" Yami replied. "_However, there is a difference in my powers and yours. You see, the beam of energy I made yesterday and the Shadow Warp are techniques of Darkness while your beam of energy, Joey's flame, Kaiba's ice beam, and the Mirror Shield are techniques of Light._"

"What's the difference?" asked Joey.

"_For weaker techniques, they both usually use mental strength. With stronger ones, techniques of Darkness are techniques of transformation, such as the warp I made. They usually use shadow matter and blood to create something new. However, with very advanced ones, techniques of Light focus on healing and regeneration while techniques of Darkness focus on pure destruction._"

"Oh." Joey then looked in front of him, and saw what looked like a tree in the distance. "Hey! Look! There's a tree there! Let's get some shade!" Joey then started running towards it, and the others followed.

"_Say, Yugi. Is he always like that?_" Yami asked as they were trying to catch up.

"Yeah, especially when he gets excited."

Yami sighed, but he didn't know why. Something told him that this was going to be a very long trip indeed, especially with _him_ there.

Uh, if you have any good ideas of what should happen next, I'll be more than glad to listen. I know what's going to happen in the later half of the story, but I'm stuck at finding a good idea of what they should encounter next. So please may you help me out a little? Please? At least encourage me by reviewing! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 8: The Enemy Tree

Phew... Thanks to The Danvers Girls and dragonlady222 for their constant support and ideas! This chapter is done thanks to you, The Danvers Girls! I love you guys (er... gals?) so much!

**Chapter 8: The Enemy Tree**

**D**ue to the fact that he was the most athletic person of the five, Joey had already left the others behind. The tree was beginning to get closer, but it was further away than it seemed to be. He kept on running, though he started to sweat. Far behind him, the others were struggling to catch up.

"Being with that mutt can sure be a pain in the neck…" grumbled Kaiba.

"Well, I think that he's a pain in the lungs!" mumbled Yugi. Having short legs was one of the traits that he had inherited from his family that he wasn't particularly proud of.

"G-guys, don't you think that it's kind of… strange that there's a tree in the middle of the desert?" said Ryou when he realized it.

"_You're right…_" said Yami. "_Well, there are a few, but I don't remember seeing one _here_… Oh no! Joey might be in big danger!_" He then started running even faster.

By now, Joey had already reached the tree. However, it seemed rather… strange. It was completely black, deprived of leaves, and grew upwards at an awkward angle. Its branches seemed like claws, and it was kind of spooky to look at. It also gave off a rather dark and impure aura.

"Why might he be in danger?" asked Yugi. They were nearing Joey now.

"_I can sense that it's a tree with a spirit, and sometimes these kind of trees devour other spirits to survive!_"

Suddenly, roots made of darkness shot up from the ground around the tree and reached out for Joey. He tried to jump back, but one of them wrapped itself on his right leg, tripping him. Another root shot out straight at him, and he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. When he opened them again, he found a glass mirror-like thing in front of him, shielding him from the blow.

"Ryou?" The boy nodded.

"Are you okay, Joey?" said Yugi. The root around Joey's leg loosened, and he got up.

"Thanks guys…" He then faced the tree. More roots had sprung out, and they seemed ready to attack again. "Aww man… Now the _tree_'s against us?"

As if answering, the roots lashed out at all of them. Joey tried to use his fire attack again, but he couldn't concentrate. He could only dodge it instead. Meanwhile, the others did the same. Yami then shot a beam of darkness at the tree. However, something wasn't right. When it was hit, the tree seemed to absorb the energy instead, and it seemed to grow a little.

"Yami, what's wrong?" asked Yugi, sensing his hesitation.

"_Well… the tree seems to be absorbing my energy instead of getting hit…_" Then, another root shot towards him. He didn't have time to dodge it, so he tried sending another blast of dark energy at it. However, it just absorbed it and got bigger. It wrapped itself around Yami's waist and pulled him to the trunk of the tree. Now, some more of the roots wrapped themselves around him, binding him to the tree. He tried to struggle, but it only made them squeeze him tighter.

"Yami!" Yugi screamed. He then shot his own blast of light at the tree, and this time it worked. There was a slight hiss, and a hole appeared where it was hit. But then, it quickly regenerated.

"What's going on?" asked Joey. "Didn't you blast a hole in it a second ago?"

"I did, but…" The two jumped to the side as yet another root attacked them. Suddenly, Yami understood what was going on.

"_Yugi! This tree absorbs dark energy, but not light! It's also using my energy to heal itself! I'm counting on you guys now!_" The roots squeezed him tighter, and he passed out.

"Oh no! What are we going to do now?" asked Joey. "If we don't think of something soon, we'll all get killed! But if we keep on blasting away like that, it'll use Yami's energy to stay alive!" Joey then turned to Kaiba. "Do you have any attack that might work?" Kaiba mumbled something under his breath, and shot a beam of ice at the tree. However, it wasn't strong enough, and the roots just blocked it. They returned the attack, and one of the roots grabbed Ryou, who was next to Kaiba. Yugi shot another beam of light at the root, and it disappeared. But then, the roots around Yami tightened, and the tree used his energy to create more roots to replace the lost one.

"Don't attack! Yami will get killed if we do!" Ryou shouted. A root then aimed for Joey, but Ryou created a Mirror Shield in front of him. However, the root was too strong, and it broke through. It then hit Joey on the shoulder and sent him crashing into the sand. Yugi quickly gave him a hand and helped him up.

"Don't worry. I'm okay," Joey said. "But we have to find a way to help Yami without the tree hurting him!"

"How about we destroy all of it at once so that it won't have time to regenerate?" Yugi replied after thinking for a second.

"But how are we going to do that?"

"W-what if you guys attack it all at the same time?" Ryou suggested.

"But I use fire and Kaiba uses ice. How is that supposed to work? Besides, your technique is defensive. And even without those problems, I don't think that we'll be strong enough… I can't even use anything now!" said Joey. He tried to get a flame on his fingertip again, but nothing happened as he expected.

"Well, remember when we were learning these techniques? Yami told us to concentrate. We'll just have to concentrate more this time, and if we do I'm sure that we'll be strong enough!" Yugi said with encouragement.

"But I can't…"

"Stop doubting yourself, Joey! You can do it, I'm sure! You just have to believe in yourself!"

"Okay. I'll do it!" This time, Joey was determined to help.

"Now, Kaiba and Ryou, can you two distract the roots so that we can get a clear shot?" asked Yugi.

"Uh, sure!" Ryou replied.

"Thanks!" Joey said to them. He then tried to focus. _Hang in there, Yami…_

Since it was clear that he was obliged to do it, Kaiba didn't say anything. He and Ryou ran to the other side of the tree while Yugi and Joey got ready. As they expected, the roots followed them. When they were far enough so that the roots couldn't defend the tree anymore, Kaiba shot out a beam of ice at the ground under the roots, and it froze them there for a second without destroying them.

"Ready, Joey?" Yugi asked his friend.

"Yeah…" Joey could now feel heat rise in the tip of his finger. He was ready this time.

"GO!" At the same time, the two unleashed their attacks. A massive blast of fire dovetailed a thin but powerful beam of light. It reached the tree, and enveloped it in a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, nothing remained of it except for some shadow matter scattered in the air… and Yami lying on the ground. Everyone rushed to him.

"Hey, are you alright Yami?" asked Joey. He got his answer as Yami stirred and got up to his feet.

"_Yes, and it was all because you four acted like a real team…_"

"Is everything okay?" asked Yugi. There seemed to have been a slight trace of longing in Yami's voice.

"_I'm alright, don't worry._" Yami then gave him a smile. The five then started to walk forwards again, each of them thinking of their own deep, secret thoughts.

Thanks to all of you who read! Same thing as always. I really appreciate the reviews! If you have any more ideas, I'll be glad to consider them again!


	10. Chapter 9: Two More Pairs of Eyes

Hello everyone! Long, long time no see! Sorry for the long update time! I hope you didn't forget me! Summer camp has been keeping me really busy these days! But at least... here's the next chapter! Oh, and I just realized that I kind of changed the font for the title each time... so from now on, all my titles will be centered, bold and underlined.

Reminder: I own almost nothing! I don't own YGO, and I only own about one-third of the plot. OK?

**Chapter 9: Two More Pairs of Eyes**

**L**ater, while they were resting, Joey went up to Yami and sat down beside him.

"I'm really sorry about what happened today… If it wasn't for me, then none of that would have happened…"

"_If it weren't for me, then nothing would have happened in the first place, Joey!_" he replied. The two laughed. "_Also, Yugi told me what you did today. It was so amazing how you all worked together so well. I'm so happy!_"

"Thanks…"

"_So… How long have you all known each other?_" Yami asked him after a brief moment of silence.

"Well, Yugi and I became best friends after the first few weeks of school, and Kaiba and Ryou were both in many of our classes, but we never paid much attention to them. Kaiba doesn't get along well with us. In fact, nobody does! And Ryou, nobody really pays attention to him either, but Yugi wanted to try to make friends with him. And when we got a project from school and were picked to be together… well, here we are! Yugi and I also have two other friends. Their names are Téa and Tristan. We support each other all the time!"

"_Wow… It's nice to have friends by your side… And as for Kaiba and Ryou, you've become friends in such a short time! And now you trust each other as well!_"

"I guess so, but maybe not Kaiba! Well, my friends are the only things that I have to support me. Six years ago when I was a kid, my mom took my little sister Serenity away from me and left me with my abusive alcoholic father. I haven't been able to contact them, much less seen them since, but it's my sister whom I miss the most… I've learned to move on in life and accept that though," Joey said with a sigh.

"_Oh…_" Yami gave him a look filled with empathy."_But moving on doesn't always mean to just accept and forget! I'm sure that you'll be able to find her again someday, Joey. Believe in yourself and your sister. I'm sure that she too is looking for you wherever she is right now!!_"

"Okay… But you know, many things have changed since then. I'm no longer the brother that she remembers. I've grown up, and I hate to admit it, but now I'm too hotheaded and energetic, especially compared to the Joey she knew. Take what happened today as an example… I'm not sure that she'll be able to put up with me when we meet. Do you think so, Yami?"

"_Don't worry!_"he replied. "_I'm sure that your sister loves you for who you are no matter how long it has been since you've seen each other and how much has changed! Besides, I don't think that you're too rash and energetic. Your personality even helps keeps our spirits up! It's also what makes you who you are. The only thing is that you might need to calm down a little sometimes and consider things a bit before you act. But hesitation is never a good thing either… It just depends on the situation you're in!_"

"Thank you again…" Joey got up, and started walking towards Yugi, Kaiba and Ryou who were waiting for them.

"_One last thing._" Yami said as he too got up."_You know, my master once gave me a piece of advice… Don't hesitate. When the time comes, just act!_"

Joey gave him the 'thumbs up' sign, and they all started walking towards their destination. But unbeknownst to them, a lone vulture-like bird above them circled in the air twice, and flew away in the opposite direction…

* * *

And later, somewhere else…

"_**So… Are you sure?**_" All was dark, and nothing could be seen of the speaker except for two bright red slits. Two glowing greenish yellow orbs appeared before them.

"_Yes… It's him, I'm certain even though he has changed. But he isn't alone this time. He has brought a few friends with him…_"

"_**Just as I had suspected… What a pity. He didn't learn last time, did he? I guess that I'll have to make him then… And I also have to punish him a little for taking something of mine...**_"

"_Yes… But would you mind if I asked exactly why you want it this way? You've already accomplished what you had in mind…_"

"_**Ah yes… But I might as well have a bit of fun with the little 'gift' that I got, right?**_" Even in the darkness, the other could tell that he was smiling.

"_Okay master. There's also something else I also wanted to tell you. The ones who he's with… You might be interested…_"

"_**Really…?**_"

"_Yes… They're from the other side… And one of them is his other half… But never mind that. Another one of them might be the one you're looking for…_"

"_**Well, it wouldn't hurt if you investigate a bit more, wouldn't it?**_"

"_Of course… anything you say, master…_"

"_**You know, you sure are much more useful then he ever could be … Anyways, also try to find out their intentions. They don't seem to be trying to come here. Something else is going on, that much we know…**_"

"_Thank you… I shall now go to complete this task…_" The yellow orbs then disappeared into the darkness once more…

So now the plot's thickening a little... Who are these two mysterious characters? And what do they have to do with Yami and the others? I'll leave you to think a bit...


End file.
